Cleaning Your House Green: Where to Begin?
Posted by lindseyshoe
To clean your house “green” and even save some green, start with the basics. This begins the first in our series of articles on cleaning green. Learn what products you have on hand to create cleaners without, an all purpose cleaner recipe and what supplies are needed for mixing and storing your green cleaning products. Next, look for recipes to clean your house from top to bottom.
It is easy to clean your home with natural ingredients. Almost, just as easy as it is to cook some of your favorite recipes. But just like with any cooking recipe you need to have the right ingredients. In my home there are some basic cooking ingredients that are a must–ingredients like garlic, fresh ground pepper and well, beer. I cook a lot with beer. The basic ingredients you need to have on hand to clean your house from game rooms to bathrooms are simple, inexpensive and you probably already have them in your pantry.
Start with the Basics: Vinegar, Baking Soda (bicarbonate of soda), cream of tartar, eucalyptus or citrus oil, paraffin, lemon juice, and ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, corn starch, talcum powder, olive oil and essential oils.
What do these basics do? How can something as simple as baking soda or talcum powder clean your home?
-Baking soda: works as a non abrasive cleaner, no more Comet is needed. It is also great for removing odors, not just in the fridge but in your laundry, trash cans and carpets.
-Lemon Juice: The acidic nature of lemon juice dissolves built up and dirt on wood, tarnish on silver, and neutralizes hard water deposits in sinks, bathtubs and toilets.
- White vinegar: an alternative to lemon juice. The strong smell dissipates as the vinegar dries. It also cleans windows and mirrors without streaking.
- Soap: Using unscented soap in liquid form, flakes, powders or bars is biodegradable and will clean just about anything. Avoid using soaps which contain petroleum distillates. These soaps are available at most craft and hobby stores.
-Corn Starch: For use on windows, furniture polish, carpets and rugs.
- Antifungals/Disinfectants: Worried that natural cleaners do not provide disinfectant throughout your home? Try using Grapefruit seed extract and other essential oils such as lavender, clove, and tea tree oil as a natural antiseptic and fungicides. Tea tree oil has many uses, including keeping the bugs at bay, as well as acting as a natural air freshener.
These two recipes create general, all purpose cleaners from every day, natural products:
All Purpose Surface Cleaner: To make an easy, natural, environmentally friendly all purpose cleaner; mix together equal parts white vinegar and salt. Scrub surfaces with a natural cleaning cloth.
Or
General Household Cleaner: Mix 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Scent with a couple drops of essential oils. Tea tree oil can be used as a disinfectant. Use this to clean counters and walls and other surfaces.
To prepare and store your environmentally friendly cleaners you need the right containers-just as you need the correct pots and pans. Suggested cleaning supplies include: spray bottles, tightly sealable containers, labels, newspapers, soft cloths, coffee filters, and microfiber cloths.
There are many benefits to cleaning with natural products in your home. For many of us during this time of economic instability, the most important one may be it saves money. Many families spend between $30.00-$50.00 per week on cleaning products for their home from dishwashers to air fresheners.
Natural cleaners are good for the environment. You save gas because you don’t have to drive out to purchase cleaning supplies when you run out. Unlike commercial cleaners, like Lysol and Mr. Clean, natural cleaning products do not contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment. They are biodegradable and easily disposed of.
Lastly, they are safer and non-toxic which makes them an excellent choice for homes with children and pets. They provide clean, green cleaning solutions that do not affect your health making them a good choice for homes with allergy or sinus sufferers also.
Safety Precautions
It is important to always perform an allergy test before using new ingredients or essential oils. Dab the underside of your wrist and watch for any indication of inflammation. Results may vary and cannot be guaranteed to be 100% safe and effective. Be sure to completely label your cleaning supplies and bottles with date of preparation, use, and ingredients. Just like commercial cleaners keep all cleaners out of reach of children.
Look forward to the next article in this series, Recipes for Whole House Cleaning Success: Natural and Environmentally Friendly.
2 Responses to “Cleaning Your House Green: Where to Begin?”
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ken says:
I used to clean my dishes with the residue of used grinding coffee particles, also with hot water. I also used used tea bag stuff to wash dishes.
Less expensive & More Life protective poducts.